By Deb Risden
Care and Share Food Bank partners with organizations throughout Southern Colorado to ensure equitable access to nutritious food. In 2020, Care and Share reached out to El Paso County School District 49 to partner with them in supplying food boxes to families in the area experiencing food insecurity.
Lauren Stuart, Sand Creek Zone community liaison, said, “I thought this could be something our families were interested in, so I agreed. We were able to give out 180 boxes of food at two different schools in less than 30 minutes. It was evident there was a need for some kind of food security.” After seeing the extent of the need, Care and Share started bringing their Mobile Market truck to the Sand Creek Zone, where families could choose what they needed from the food bank.
In 2021, Care and Share suggested the zone open their own food pantry on-site because of increasingly long lines at the Mobile Market. The zone found space in a modular building on the Horizon Middle School campus and converted it into the Community Resource Center.
Kids can’t be successful in school unless their basic needs are met.”
In 2024, D 49 Falcon Zone followed suit. Cari Muresan, Falcon Zone community liaison, said she was new in her role when someone suggested there was a need for another resource center. Muresan got to work, found space in a modular on the Falcon Middle School Campus and opened the Falcon Zone Community Closet & Pantry in January 2024. “I thought what a great way to serve our community to make sure that kids are fed and families get what they need,” Muresan said. “Kids can’t be successful in school unless their basic needs are met.”
Anyone in the community can access the centers if they need help. It’s not just families with children who attend D 49. “A lot of people that come and shop are supplementing what they already have,” Stuart said. “Food is expensive so it’s nice if you can get some of what they need at no cost.”
Shoppers are required to sign in and are asked to reveal how many people are in their household, the number of children and older adults, if applicable. Stuart said no names are reported to anyone. They are required to report numbers of shoppers to Care and Share for purposes of grant funding only. “I report just numbers; how many people visited for the first time and if they have been to the center before,” she said.
The Sand Creek Community Resource Center serves an average of 67 homes each month; Falcon Zone’s Closet & Pantry served about 163 households over the course of their first year. Many are repeat visitors.
Both centers have some limits on the amount of items shoppers can take from the food pantry to ensure there is enough food to meet everyone’s needs.
There are fewer limits on clothing at both centers. Children’s, men’s and women’s clothing are available.
Both centers work with partners and community organizations and businesses to fill the pantries year-round. Stuart said Woodmen Valley Church provides weekly food bags; a Girl Scout troop donated a whole meal with a recipe; Thrivent Financial collected donations at an event; and Horizon Middle School student leadership collected non-perishable food during the annual Harvest of Love food drive. “One time, Neighbors for Education conducted a food drive when they heard we didn’t have enough food to open the pantry,” Stuart said. “They ran their own food drive and brought everything over to us.”
Muresan said their pantry receives donations from Woodmen Valley Church – Heights Campus and have benefited from donations through community events. “We have different community partners who give monetary donations to help us out, like State Bank, Oasis Liquors, Jax Brewing,” Muresan said. “We also have an amazing partnership with the Exchange Club of Falcon.” Their zone schools also conduct food drives.
Both centers receive most of their food from Care and Share, but Muresan and Stuart use donated funds to supplement their allocations and what they receive from food drives. “I might get 87 cans of corn and 90 boxes of spaghetti but maybe only three jars of spaghetti sauce. Monetary donations allow me to fill the gaps on food,” Muresan said. “If you think about it, if you’re hungry and you come to a pantry, what do you need? You need things to make a meal.” The pantries also carry perishables, such as milk, yogurt, bread, cheese, eggs, vegetables and lunch meats.
Muresan said one of their biggest needs is hygiene and personal care items, as well as diapers and baby wipes.
The Sand Creek Zone center is open two times per month for an hour each, usually every other Thursday. Visit the Sand Creek website at https://www.d49.org/discover-d49/innovation-zones/sand-creek-zone. Stuart can be contacted directly at lauren.stuart@d49.org.
The Falcon Zone center is open once per month for food pantry and clothing; and by appointment other times for clothing only. Visit the Falcon zone website at https://www.d49.org/discover-d49/innovation-zones/falcon-zone. Muresan can be contacted directly at carolyn.muresan@d49.org.
Both centers have information on their respective zone Facebook pages, along with links to their wish lists on Amazon.com.
“We are incredibly grateful how the community comes together. I can ask for things on Facebook, and the community, especially community businesses, step up if I reach out,” Muresan said. “That’s one of the great things about Falcon is how this community steps up to take care of each other.”
